Large Group/Music and Movement

1.Brief Description. Students will work on rhyming with a rhyming matching game and a group
movement activity that allows for each student to rhyme.

2. Rationale. I decided on this activity after my pre-assessment questions showed how little the
children knew about rhyming. Children are encouraged to share their ideas among peers and
have fun rhyming like the wacky Dr. Seuss.
3. Domains:

 Literacy
 Gross motor
 Language
 Social

4. Goals.

 Children will participate cooperatively and constructively in group situations

 Children will demonstrate gross-motor manipulative skills
 Children will make connections between words
 Children will engage in conversation.

5. Objectives.

 Children will rhyme identify two words that rhyme.

6. Materials. List all materials that will be needed for this activity.

 Dry erase board

 Dry erase marker
 The Cat in The Hat
7. Set Up.
I will need to pull out the dry erase board, Dry erase marker and The Cat in the Hat Book in
advance.
8. Role of adults.
Adults will be responsible for leading rhyming games, offering support and reading The Cat in
the Hat.
9. Prerequisite Skills.

 Children will wait for their turn to share.

 Children will be able to come up with two rhyming words.
10. Adaptations.
For students who may not be able to come uo with their own two words that rhyme I ma offer
them the first word such as “Cat rhymes with..” and allow them to try and come upw tih a word
that rhymes with cat or I’ll give them tow words such as “hat and ham” and ask them “which of
the two words rhymes with Cat”
For students who have trouble waiting I will have flexible seating options.

11. Introduce the Activity. I will ask the students “What is a rhyme?” after I will tell them a
Rhyme is when the sound of two words goes together, such as toes and close or the ending of
words goes together like cat and hat.

12. Pre-assessment.
From the pre-assessment question what a rhyme is most students can rhyme but just don’t
know how to explain what a rhyme is in words.

13. Steps.
1. Induction with the question “What is a rhyme?”
2. Pick two students who can be the bridge and introduce the song and the rhyming bridge
activity by using teacher as example first.
3. As we sing the children will go in a circle and go under the bridge till, we get to the part
“my fair lady” the bridge will drop and that person will give two words that rhyme.
4. After the children get caught, they go sit and sing with us.
5. We will play this till everyone gets a turn.
6. After students will sit for the teacher to read The Cat in the Hat. Students will be
encouraged to put out rhyming words during the story and we write them on the board.

14. Closing.
I will say if your name rhymes with… you may go line up for outside time.

15. Back-up Plans.

If things don’t go as planned, we will just read The Cat in the Hat and I will stop during the book
to explain what a rhyme is, and I will write rhyming words down on the board as we read.

16. Extensions/variations.
We could extend this by having the children write their own rhyming story like Dr. Seuss with a
teacher.

Fine Motor and Art

The Cat in The Name

By: Ashley Johnson

Preschool 4 to 5s

Michigan Early Childhood Standards:

ECE.ELE.CA.1. 2. Begin to plan and carry out projects and activities with increasing

persistence.

ECE.ELE.SEP. 6.1. Develop and refine motor control and coordination, eye-hand coordination,
finger/thumb and whole-hand strength coordination and endurance using a variety of age-appropriate
tools

Objectives:

 Children will demonstrate fine-motor manipulative skills

 Children will follow directions
 Children will show persistence to carry out activity.
 Children will create a pattern
 Children will count the letters in their name

Materials:

 Red strips of paper

 Red Hat base (bigger red rectangle)
 White strips of paper
 White circles of paper
  Blue full sheets of paper
 Markers
 glue

Procedure:

1. Teacher demonstrates how to build the cat in the hat making sure to remind students to
count the letters in their name first because each letter of their first name will be one of the
strips on his hat. The teacher will also make sure students know to rotate between red and
white strips as they count because the cats hat follows a pattern.
2. First students will glue on the white circle (making sure the white face is towards the bottom
of the blue sheet) it will be the cats face then they will glue on the hat base on top of the
circle.
3. Students will then count the letters that are in their name and they will count out that many
strips of paper. Student must make to rotate between red and white strips as they count so
they produce a pattern.
4. Students will then glue the strips of paper starting at the hat base working up.
5. After strips are glued students will write the first letter of their name in pencil on the top
strip and work their way down.
6. Once they know for sure they successful created a pattern and had enough strips per letter
they can trace over the pencil in marker.
7. Lastly students can give The Cat a silly face in the marker if they choose to.

Assessment:

The teacher at the art table will be able to assess students persistence and abilities as they work as well
as the final product being done as the directions given.

Adaptions:

Students who are struggling with this activity will be assisted by the teacher who will be at the art table
for the duration of choice time.

Field Trip
The Cat in the Hat Comes

By: Ashley Johnson

Preschool 4 to 5s

Michigan Early Childhood Standards:

ECE.ELE. LL.1.3. Use different strategies for understanding written materials (e.g., making predictions
using what they already know, using the structure of texts, linking themselves and their experiences to
the written materials, asking relevant questions).

ECE.ELE. LL.1.5. Talk about preferences for favorite authors, kinds of books, and topics and question the
content and author’s choices (critical literacy).

ECE.ELE. B. 3. Participate in play activities with sounds (e.g., rhyming games, finger

plays).

ECE.ELE. C. 5. Develop an understanding of the roles of authors and illustrators.

Objectives:

 Children will make predictions about what will happen in the text
 Children will talk about preferences for favorite authors, kinds of books, and topics and question
the content and author’s choices
 Children will participate in rhyming

Materials:

 The Cat in The Hat Costumes

 The Cat in The Hat by Dr. Seuss

Procedure:

1. The teacher will say there is a visitor coming but he is late, and she is going to call him while
another teacher entertains them with Simon says.
2. The teacher that isn’t making a call will being changing into the costume and will knock on the
door when ready.
3. The teacher will introduce themselves as The Cat with a Hat and say he jumped right out of the
pages Dr. Seuss wrote and illustrated so
4. The Cat will explain Dr. Seuss is an amazing author and illustrator that they and how right silly
rhyming stories and the Cat would like it if every time the children heard a rhyme, they put their
hands on their heads while The Cat reads.
5. The Cat will then read the Cat in the Hat and point out rhymes here and there for children.

Assessment:

The teacher can observe children cooperating in activity, hear predictions, rhymes and author and
illustrator responses.

Students who are struggling with waiting or being to active will be offered flexible sitting options or
fidgets. Hand visuals, modeling and eye contact will be used for language connections for ELL or bilingual
students.

Dramatic play
Green Eggs and Ham Restaurant

By: Ashley Johnson

Preschool 4 to 5s

Michigan Early Childhood Standards:

ECE.ELE.CA.4. 1. Grow in the ability to pretend and to use objects as symbols for other things.

ECE.ELE.CA.4. 2. Use dramatic play to represent concepts, understand adult roles, characters, and
feelings.

ECE.ELE.CA.4. 3. Begin to understand components of dramatic play (e.g., setting, prop, costume, voice).

Objectives:

 Children will engage in sociodramatic play

 Children will begin to understand the adult role of running, working or going to a restaurant
 Children will play cooperatively with peers


Materials:

 Green eggs
 Green Ham
 Aprons
 Chef Hats
 Menus
 Markers
 Cash register
 Cash

Procedure:

During Choice time students will be able to open the restaurant and play any role they choose.

Assessment:

The teacher can observe children engaging in appropriate sociodramatic play.

Adaption:

Students who are struggling with this activity will be assisted by the teacher who will demonstrate
appropriate play.

Math
Fish Graph
By: Ashley Johnson

Preschool 4 to 5s

Michigan Early Childhood Standards:

ECE.ELE. M.1.4. Begin to talk about the processes and procedures they used to solve concrete and
simple mathematical situations.

ECE.ELE. M.1. 5. Begin to generate problems that involve predicting, collecting, and analyzing
information and using simple estimation.

ECE.ELE. M.2. 5. Talk about their own mathematical explorations and discoveries using simple
mathematical language and quantity-related words

Objectives:

 Children will show curiosity and motivation

 Children will participate and be able to discuss mathematics
 Children will be able to use simple mathematical language and quantity related words.

Materials:

• Multicolored goldfish crackers

• Fish graph
• Crayons

Procedure:

1. During small group the teacher will give each student a fish graph, a handful of goldfish crackers
and crayons.
2. Students will be asked to not eat crackers but to look at how many colors they see in the fish
then they will be asked to color each fish at the bottom of the graph one of the colors see.
3. Teacher will model then students will be asked to sort them on the graph by color.
4. Teacher will ask each student as they sort what color they believe the have most of and the least
of after they are done sorting the teacher will ask them again but ask them how they know.

Assessment:

The teacher can observe children engaging in math discussion and exploration.

Adaption:

Students who are struggling with waiting or being to active will be offered flexible sitting options or
fidgets. Hand visuals, modeling and eye contact will be used for language connections for ELL or bilingual
students.

Music and Movement

Pirate Song
By: Ashley Johnson

Preschool 4 to 5s

Michigan Early Childhood Standards:

ECE.ELE.CA.2. 3. Begin to understand and demonstrate the components of music (e.g., tone,

pitch, beat, rhythm, melody).

ECE.ELE. CA. 2.1. Participate in musical activities (e.g., listening, singing, finger plays, singing

games, and simple performances) with others

Objectives:

 Children will participate in musical activities such as singing and dancing

 Children will begin to understand and demonstrate their understanding of rhythm

Materials:

 The pirate song lyrics

 Pirate song visual card (to symbolize the song they are able to sing)

Procedure:

1. During large group the teacher will sing and dance to the pirate song and invite students to
model after.
2. Students will be asked to join in and copy teachers’ movements and sing the words they know
3. When teacher feels students are ready, they will be encourage to come up an action in the song
which rhymes with the age.

Assessment:

The teacher can observe children engaging in music and movement and hear them being to understand
rhythm.

Adaption:

Students who are struggling with waiting or being to active will be offered flexible sitting options or
fidgets. Hand visuals, modeling and eye contact will be used for language connections for ELL or bilingual
students.

Pirate Song Lyrics

When I was one, I sucked my thumb,

The day I went to sea.

I climbed aboard a pirate ship

And the Captain said to me:

‘We’re going this way, that way,

Forwards backwards,

Over the Irish Sea.

A bottle of rum to fill my tum

A Pirates’ life for me’.

When I was two, I buckled my shoe,

The day I went to sea.

I climbed aboard a pirate ship

And the Captain said to me:

‘We’re going this way, that way,

Forwards backwards,

Over the Irish Sea.

A bottle of rum to fill my tum

A Pirate’s life for me’.

When I was three, I grazed my knee,

The day I went to sea.

I climbed aboard a pirate ship

And the Captain said to me:

‘We’re going this way, that way,

Forwards backwards,

Over the Irish Sea.

A bottle of rum to fill my tum

A Pirate’s life for me’.

When I was four, I swam ashore,

The day I went to sea.

I climbed aboard a pirate ship

And the Captain said to me:

‘We’re going this way, that way,

Forwards backwards,

Over the Irish Sea.

A bottle of rum to fill my tum

A Pirate’s life for me’.

When I was five, I learned to dive,

The day I went to sea.

I climbed aboard a pirate ship

And the Captain said to me:

‘We’re going this way, that way,

Forwards backwards,

Over the Irish Sea.

A bottle of rum to fill my tum

A Pirate’s life for me’.

Language
Dr. Seuss Letter Match Game

By: Ashley Johnson

Preschool 4 to 5s

Michigan Early Childhood Standards:

ECE.ELE. LL. B. 1. Show progress in identifying and associating letters with their names and sounds.

ECE.ELE. LL. 3. 3. Experiment and play with sounds (e.g., rhyming, alliteration, playing with sounds, and
other aspects of phonological awareness).

ECE.ELE. LL. 4. 2. Show progress in listening to and following spoken directions

Objectives:
  Children will identify and associate letters with letter names and sounds.
 Children will show process in listening to and following directions

Materials:

• Dr. Seuss Letter Match Game

Procedure:

1. The teacher will give the directions

2. The Teacher will assign who goes first, five cards per student and game pieces to avoid conflict
3. The students on their turn will pull a card from their deck with a picture and must identify the
picture and letter it starts with and find that letter on the game board and move their game
piece there.
4. The students play till they have discarded all their cards.

Assessment:

The teacher can observe children cooperating in activity, hear sounds and language development.

Adaptions

Students who are struggling with waiting or being to active will be offered flexible sitting options or
fidgets. Hand visuals, modeling and eye contact will be used for language connections for ELL or bilingual
students. Teachers can offer letter sounds or names to students who are struggling.

Literacy
Dr. Seuss Birthday Cards

By: Ashley Johnson

Preschool 4 to 5s

Michigan Early Childhood Standards:

ECE.ELE. LL. 2. 2. Use a variety of forms of early writing (e.g., scribbling, drawing, use of letter strings,
copied environmental print) and move toward the beginning of phonetic and/or conventional spelling.

ECE.ELE. LL 2. 3. Begin to develop an understanding of purposes for writing (e.g., lists, directions, stories,
invitations, labels).

ECE.ELE. LL 2. 7. Show beginnings of a sense of the need to look over and modify their writings and
drawings (e.g., adding to picture or writing).

ECE.ELE. LL. B. 1. Show progress in identifying and associating letters with their names and sounds.

Objectives:

 Children will write and create cards

 Children will identify and associate letters with letter names and sounds.

Materials:
  Paper
 Glue
 Scissors
 Pencils
 Stickers
 Crayons
 Markers
 Word Rolodex (ELC’s)

Procedure:

1. Children will be given a variety of materials and encouraged to write cards for Dr. Seuss or
anyone they want.
2. Children make decorate or write what they would like
3. Teachers can still at table and offer support
4. Children can use word rolodex to help them begin to spell and write.

Assessment:

The teacher can observe children cooperating in activity, writing, hear sounds and language
development.

Adaptions:

Students who are struggling with waiting or being to active will be offered flexible sitting options or
fidgets. Hand visuals, modeling and eye contact will be used for language connections for ELL or bilingual
students. Teachers can offer letter sounds or names to students who are struggling.

Science
Oobleck Sink or Float

By: Ashley Johnson

Preschool 4 to 5s

Michigan Early Childhood Standards:

ECE.ELE. S.1. 3. Talk about their own predictions, explanations and generalizations based on past and
current experiences.

ECE.ELE. S.1. 4. Expand their observational skills (e.g., extending the time they observe, being able to
describe and confirm their observations by using a variety of resources).

ECE.ELE. S.1. 5. Begin to participate in simple investigations (e.g., asking questions manipulating
materials; anticipating what might happen next; testing their observations to determine why things
happen).

Objectives:
  Children will show curiosity and motivation
 Children will participate in making predictions.
 Children will be able to discuss their predictions.

Materials:

 Cornstarch
 Water
 Green Food Coloring
 Paper clip
 Quarter
 Glue Cap
 Gem

Procedure:

1. During Large Group the teacher will bring out the Oobleck which was made earlier from
cornstarch and water for a cooking activity.
2. The teacher will have students touch the Oobleck then they will make predictions on if they
think a paper clip, quarter, glue, cap, and gem will float or sink.
3. The teacher will hold up the paper clip and ask students to share their thought on if the paper
clip will float or sink and why they think that.
4. The teacher will then ask the entire class to either put their hands-on head if they think it will
float or hands on their hips if they think sink.
5. Teacher will repeat steps 3 and 4 for each of the objects.
6. Students will be able to share their thoughts and encouraged to explore the Oobleck during
choice time more to see what they can find that will sink or float.

Assessment:

The teacher can observe children engaging in making predictions and even sharing their thoughts on
their predictions if students choose to share.

Adaption:

Students who are struggling with waiting or being to active will be offered flexible sitting options or
fidgets. Hand visuals and eye contact will be used for language connections for ELL or bilingual

Construction
Red and White Cup Stem Challenge

By: Ashley Johnson

Preschool 4 to 5s

Michigan Early Childhood Standards:

ECE.ELE.SEP. 6.1. Develop and refine motor control and coordination, eye-hand coordination,
finger/thumb and whole-hand strength coordination and endurance using a variety of age-appropriate
tools

ECE.ELE.SEP. 2.3. Use materials purposefully, safely, and respectfully more and more of the time.

ECE.ELE.SEP.3.7. Participate successfully as a group member

Objectives:

 Children will demonstrate fine-motor manipulative skills

 Children will use materials respectfully and purposefully.
 Children will work cooperatively with their peers.
 Children will explore and develop beginning engineering skills.

Materials:

 Solo Cups
 Strips of paper

Procedure:

1. Students will be able to choose to build with the solo cups during choice time.
2. Teachers can encourage students to build strong bridges and structures using the cups that can
support weight.

Assessment:

Observing students can play cooperatively with peers, respecting school supplies, using fine motor skills,
while exploring and developing beginning engineering skills.

Adaptions:

Other materials can be used, and students can request teacher support.

Cooking
Oobleck cooking Activity

By: Ashley Johnson

Preschool 4 to 5s

Michigan Early Childhood Standards:

ECE.ELE. M. 4 6. Show growth in understanding that number words and numerals represent quantities.

ECE.ELE. M.4. 8. Understand how numbers can be used to label various aspects of their lives (e.g., house
number, phone number, ages of classmates).

ECE.ELE. M.6.1. Show awareness that things in their environment can be measured.
Objectives:

 Children will participate cooperatively in group.

 Children will begin to understand and demonstrate their understanding of how numbers can be
used to label various aspects of their lives
 Children will show awareness that things in their environment can be measured.

Materials:

 Cornstarch
 Water
 Recipe
 Measuring Cups
 Container or bowl
 Spoon
 Food coloring

Procedure:

1. During group the teacher will show students the recipe for Oobleck and explain how it is a
special slime from a Dr. Seuss book they will be reading or can read in the library area.
2. She will how student how she has different measuring cups with numbers that she will be
using to measure the water and cornstarch to get recipe right.
3. The teacher will ask students to identify number form recipe.
4. The teacher will ask students to assist in measuring cup of water and a cup of corn starch.
5. The teacher will demonstrate how she reads step by step what the recipe tells.
6. Teacher will have students take turns stirring.
7. The teacher will explain how the oobleck will be used at discovery table and for an
experiment later.

Assessment:

The teacher can observe children cooperating in activity and using beginning mathematical skills.

Adaption:

Students who are struggling with waiting or being to active will be offered flexible sitting options or
fidgets. Hand visuals, modeling and eye contact will be used for language connections for ELL or bilingual
students.

Outdoor/Gross Motor

Hop on Pop Hopscotch

By: Ashley Johnson

Preschool 4 to 5s
Michigan Early Childhood Standards:

ECE.ELE.SEP. 5. 1. Begin or continue to develop traveling movements such as walking, climbing, running,
jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, and galloping.

ECE.ELE.SEP. 5.4. Exhibit a growing capacity to self-regulate, demonstrate self-efficacy and

know acceptable boundaries

Objectives:

 Children will demonstrate gross-motor manipulative skills

 Children will follow directions
 Children will make connections between rhyming words

Materials

10 Word Mats (HOP, POP, CAT, etc.)

Bean Bag

Procedure

1. Teacher demonstrates how to play first

2. Students will take turns
3. Child will throw a bean bag and when it lands on a word the teacher will read it and say, “POP
what rhymes with POP?”
4. If they get it right, they can still hop on that square till when getting to the end if not they must
avoid that square and remained balanced to get to the end.

Adaptions

If students are unable to land the bean bag the teacher can offer support.

If student is unable to rhyme, they still get to try and hop to the end, but the teacher can give them a
word to help build that vocabulary

Assessment

Students can rhyme with the words on the mats, follow directions, and remain balanced.